All of the goals and objectives listed below relate to presentations based on the book, Taking the War Our of Our Words, by Sharon Strand Ellison. They focus on the traditional War Model system of communication and the new paradigm for Powerful Non-Defensive Communication that are both presented in Sharon’s book.

You are welcome to use all of the goals and objectives listed below or select the ones that best fit the themes and/or focus of your conference, workshop or training program. We can also create goals and/or objectives specific to your needs.

Goals:

Gaining a systemic, understanding of exactly how we have been using the “rules of war” as the basis for verbal interactions and the damage it causes to do so

Recognizing how to shift from using power in our verbal interactions in ways that literally create and accelerate conflict to using it in ways that can quickly diffuse defensiveness and facilitate honest understanding.

Learning the practical skill-sets for Powerful Non-Defensive Communication as tools for communicating with integrity, power, and compassion

Objectives:

The objectives are listed below under each of the two communication paradigms, but can be merged into one list.

Part I: Gaining a Systemic Understanding of the War Model for Communication:

Understanding the physiology of defensiveness

Understanding the dynamics of power struggle

Learning to identify six pervasive defensive modes

Learning to identify the 2 common misuses of each of our three basic forms of communication: questions, statements, and predictions.

Part II: Understanding and Practicing the Powerful Non-Defensive Communication Model

Doing role-plays and mat work to help people conceptualize how to use power with optimal effectiveness in verbal interactions without resorting to defensiveness or power struggle

Identifying how (1) intention, (2) tone, (3) body language and (4) phrasing change when we use non-defensive communication

Learning how to ask questions so that instead of people feeling interrogated, they drop their defenses and get to the heart of an issue

Learning how to give feedback so that instead of feeling judged or criticized, people feel respected and willing to listen

Learning how to make predictions (limit-setting) so that instead of feeling controlled or punished, people become more accountable, competent and reciprocal.

Practicing the skill sets for questions, statements, and predictions and debriefing the practice to hone the skills.

If you prefer, you can condense the 3rd 4th, and 5th objectives as shown below:

Learning how to: (1) ask questions so that instead of people feeling interrogated, they drop their defenses and get to the heart of an issue, (2) give feedback so that instead of feeling judged or criticized, people feel respected and willing to listen, and (3) Make predictions (limit-setting) so that instead of feeling controlled or punished, people become more accountable, competent and reciprocal.

You can also condense the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th objectives as shown below:

Learning and practicing how to: (1) ask questions so that instead of people feeling interrogated, they drop their defenses and get to the heart of an issue, (2) give feedback so that instead of feeling judged or criticized, people feel respected and willing to listen, and (3) Make predictions (limit-setting) so that instead of feeling controlled or punished, people become more accountable, competent and reciprocal.

The Institute for Powerful Non-Defensive Communication
Phone: 800-714-7334 or 510-655-8086 • Email: info@pndc.com
Powerful Non-Defensive Communication is a trademarked name. © 1994-2009 Sharon Strand Ellison